Camryn Carreon Wins the 2022 Women’s Stroke Play

BRYAN – UTSA senior Camryn Carreon rose to victory after being solo second heading into Sunday’s final round at the Women’s Stroke Play. The San Antonio native finished at 3-under par 213 for the 54-hole championship, to clench the title.

“I am feeling pretty accomplished,” Carreon said happily. “This course will give it to you, but I just stuck to my lines and stayed with it. I’m just really happy.”

Carreon started the final round off by birdieing the first two holes, as well as the sixth one, and ended up carding a 1-under 35. As the back nine came, Carreon and second round leader Ellie Szeryk, were neck and neck.

“This was a good match,” said Carreon. “Ellie and I were back and forth a ton, which made it a lot of fun.”

A strong mentality was key for the leaders as they headed into the back nine. Carreon was able to stick to her game plan, resorting back to patience, and dropped four birdies on the back nine, making it seven birdies total for the day.

“I was sticking it pretty tight, trying to stay calm and stick to the right speed on the greens,” Carreon recalled. “When those birdie putts fell, I just used it as momentum.”

This is a championship that Carreon will never forget, as she been striving to etch her name onto the trophy for years. Having her father as her caddy this week just puts the cherry on the top.

“I have been playing this event since high school and have been close, but was never able to win it,” the champion remarked. “It feels awesome to finally win this tournament, especially with having my dad caddying for me.”

The TGA extends its greatest appreciation to the Traditions Club at Texas A&M, including all of its staff and members, for all of their hard work in delivering such a phenomenal championship week.

An additional thank you to General Manager Bill Slade and Head Golf Professional Bryan Minnick for all of their efforts in producing an awesome week at Traditions Club.

We are also very grateful for every single one of our TGA Volunteers who gave their time and skills to be here and assist us this week.

For more information on this year’s championship, including complete scoring, click here.

Ellie Szeryk Jumps to the Top in the Women’s Stroke Play Championship

BRYAN – Ellie Szeryk of Allen jumps up 10 spots to the top of the leaderboard in Saturday’s second round after firing a bogey-free 5-under 67, to get her at a total of 1-under, at Traditions Club. She is now leading the Women’s Stroke Play Championship by two shots heading into Sunday’s final round.

“I feel really good, and I was very excited today,” Szeryk mentioned about her bogey-free 67 today. “I am really enjoying myself out there.”

The SMU Mustang’s bogey-free card consisted of a 2-under 34 front nine and a 3-under 33 back nine. Szeryk’s shots were on line and precise as she almost holed out twice today in the second round. And she has her wedges to thank for that.

“Both my wedges and putting were great today,” said Szeryk. “I knew what was working.”

Szeryk has been here before, in a final group heading into the final round and she is ready to dominate whilst in that position.

“I haven’t been in this position in a while, so I’m just going to soak it up,” said Szeryk excitedly. “I’m just going to go out there to have fun and be confident.”

After the first round yesterday, Camryn Carreon sat tied second, and now heading into the final round she is solo second. Carreon carded a 1-under 71 in the second round, putting her at 1-over total, and is content with how she has performed so far in the championship.

“Off the tee I kept myself in play and that’s what you need here,” Carreon said. “I stayed patient and that’s what I will continue to do for tomorrow’s final round.”

Recent NCAA National Champion Sadie Englemann shot a 1-under 71 in the second round, which jumped her up 8 shots to tied third. Englemann will continue to dominate as she is in the final grouping for Sunday’s final round. Texas A&M’s very own Lauren Nguyen joins Englemann at tied third, after carding an even-par 72, moving herself up two spots. Both are at a total of 3-over par for the tournament.

First round leader, Sophie Biediger of SMU and Audrey Tan of UNT (University of North Texas), are both sitting tied fifth as they are at 5-over total.

The final round of the Women’s Stroke Play Championship starts Sunday at 8:00 am. For more information, including complete scoring,  click here. 

Sophie Biediger Leads Women’s Stroke Play Championship

BRYAN – Sophie Biediger of Dallas birdied two of her last five holes to card a 1-under 71 Friday at the arduous Traditions Club. Biediger, a recent high school graduate and incoming freshman at Southern Methodist University, is leading the 7th Women’s Stroke Play Championship by three strokes.  

 “I hit a lot of fairways and greens today,” Biediger recounted. “But putting is what saved me.” 

 The SMU (Southern Methodist University) commit drained many putts today as she tallied 5 birdies on her card. Biediger posted a 1-over 37 on the front nine but on the back nine fired a 2-under 34. She was able to bounce back as it can be easy to get out of position at Traditions Club.  

 “Before the tournament I worked on a lot of mid to long irons,” Biediger mentioned about her preparation pre-tournament. “This is my first tournament playing with college players, so my game plan for the rest of the week is to try my best.” 

 A trio of players, Camryn Carreon, Delaney Martin, and Kiersten Bryant are sitting three shots back after they all shot a 2-over 74 in the first round. 

  Carreon is used to this difficult track and has a great plan for this week. 

 “If you’ve played Traditions, you know it will get you in some spots on the course,” said Carreon. “So back at home I was working on a lot of wedges and my putting stroke.” 

 The San Antonio native carded a fiery 1-under front nine with three birdies. Carreon then made the turn and completed her round with a 3-over 39 back nine.  

 “My plan for this week is to stick to my lines and mechanics, while letting the course come as it does,” Carreon responded. “I left a few out there today, so hopefully I can get those back tomorrow.” 

 Six players sit tied fifth shooting 3-over 75 in the first round today and are looking to go low for tomorrow’s second round. 

 Round 2 of the Women’s Stroke Play Championship starts Saturday at 8:00 am. For more information, including complete scoring, click here. 

Texas Women’s Stroke Play Set for June 24-26

Traditions Club at Texas A&M in Bryan will play host to the 7th Women’s Stroke Play for the first time this year. The championship, conducted by the Texas Golf Association since 2015, will take place from June 24-26.

“We’re very excited to bring the Women’s Stroke Play to Traditions Club,” said Amy Worthington, the TGA’s Director of Women’s Operations. “We are very thankful for the opportunity to bring another TGA Championship to this beautiful course.”

This will be the fourth overall TGA championship the Traditions Club has hosted.

The first was the 2014 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play. That next year, the 39th Texas Four-Ball was contested at Traditions Club. In 2017, the Texas Women’s Amateur was played there. Finally, the most recent edition of Texas Shootout took place there in 2020.

Outside of TGA championships, Traditions Club hosted the 2009 NCAA Men’s National Championship. This past May, the Traditions Club hosted the NCAA Men’s Regionals Championship.

Home to the Texas A&M Men’s and Women’s golf teams, the 18-hole private golf course and residential community in Aggieland, was founded in 2004, co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II. Located in the Brazos Valley and in the center of 900 acres, you will find the notorious championship golf course. Traditions Club measures 7,121 yards from its longest tees with a par-72 layout.

Stately hardwoods frame the rolling terrain along Turkey Creek, which occasionally hides looming hazards. Natural creeks and wetlands adorn the property, from which Kyle Field is visible in spots.

“The course is a true testament of challenge and pleasure for those who will embark this championship,” Worthington said. “With the generous fairways and strategically-placed bunkers, the course is in perfect condition for a championship golf experience.”

The TGA accepted 84 players for the Women’s Stroke Play. Seven players were awarded an exemption into this year’s championship.

There is a large list of decorated players that are ready to compete in the 7th annual championship, including defending champion Emma McMyler of San Antonio. McMyler won last summer’s 6th Women’s Stroke Play at The Club at Comanche Trace by carding rounds of 74-66-72, a 4-under 212 total, to win by four strokes against Hailey Jones. She will look to win again for the second consecutive year and to become the first player to win this championship back-to-back.

Other top players from last year’s championship playing again this year include Auburn sophomore, Elina Sinz (T2). Sinz recently just competed in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Golf National Championship and Sinz and her team just fell short in the semi-finals. Another top finisher, Camryn Carreon (T4), also competed in the national championship, instead she went as an individual, representing UTSA.

Sadie Engelmann of Austin, part of the Stanford team that recently won the NCAA National Championship, also is in the field for this year’s Women’s Stroke Play.

Also set to compete are Montgomery’s Hailee Cooper, who won the 2017 Women’s Stroke Play,  and Div. II All-American Faith DeLaGarza of Midland, a three-time Women’s Four-Ball Champion (2019, 2020, 2021) along with her partner Amari Smith.

The championship format is 54 holes of individual stroke play. The 30 players with the lowest handicap index must compete in the championship flight, while the other players will have the option to play in the championship flight. The players who wish to not play in the championship flight will be flighted into additional flights after 36 holes.

Live scoring updates, daily recaps, as well as tee-times and pairings, will be available on the TGA website once the action is underway from Traditions Club at Texas A&M.

For more on the 7th Women’s Stroke Play, click here.

Algya Maintains Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship Lead

DALLAS – Trevor Algya of Highland Village maintained his lead at 4-under in the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Jr. Championship. He finished his second round at Lakewood Country Club with a 1-over 72, ending the day with a one-stroke lead.

Algya started his day smoothly with a 2-under front nine, thanks to birdies on the par-4 1st hole and par-5 9th hole. On his back nine, Algya produced four bogeys that set him back a couple of shots, but not enough to take him out of the lead.

“I didn’t execute some shots that I should have,” said Algya of his back nine struggles. “My putter wasn’t working as well today as it was yesterday.”

Algya still remains positive heading into Thursday’s final round.

“Solid tee shots and landing spots on greens is my mindset throughout the whole tournament, especially for tomorrow,” Algya says of his game plan for the final round of the championship.

As Algya sits alone in first, there are 5 players tied for 2nd. Henry Guan, Andrew Petruzzelli, Ben Delarosa, Preston Stout, and Kevin Mu all sit at 3-under par total.

Defending champion, Preston Stout of Richardson, carded a 1-over par 72 today in the second round.

Stout was steady throughout his day by going 3-under through 14 holes. He then proceeded to go 4-over in his last four holes.

“I am not too happy about that,” says Stout about his finishing holes. “But that’s how it goes sometimes.”

Stout made an electric eagle by driving the green on the par-4 16th hole.

“The hole was downwind so I ripped my driver to 20-feet,” the Oklahoma State commit recounts. “I was able to just one-putt for eagle, so that was nice.”

Lakewood Country Club’s very own member Andrew Petruzzelli was on fire today as he carded the round of the day with a 5-under 66.

Petruzzelli finished his front nine one-under par and was able to finish his back nine strong.

“I just stayed patient all day,” Petruzzelli said. “The ball kept dropping in.”

Petruzzelli indeed had the ball dropping as he made 7 birdies total in the second round.

“I was wedging it close and pretty much made everything,” he says.

The TCU commit knows this course well as he has been a member at Lakewood for a while.

“I have been here my whole life,” Petruzzelli said. “I’m out here every day and glad to be a member here.”

Sitting alone in 7th is Waco’s Brayden Bare at 2-under par. Bare carded an even-par 71 today in the second round.

A trio of players are tied for 8th at 1-under par. Nicholas Logis, Jake Maggert, and Brooks Simmons are all just three shots back of the lead.

The field was cut to the low 30 players and tee times will begin Thursday morning at 8:00 am. For more information on the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Jr. Championship, click here.

Four Players Advance from Monday Qualifying to the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Jr. Championship

DALLAS – For the second time in history, the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship held a Monday Qualifier for the championship. The qualifier consisted of 42 players competing for the last 4 spots in the championship at Lakewood Country Club.

Price Hill, Luke D’Alise, Logan Zurn, and Parker Heath qualified for this week’s championship. Boerne native Price Hill finished first today with an even-par 71. Hill had never played Lakewood before, yet he was able to put together a good round in his first time seeing the course. “I stuck to my game plan and hit the shots I was trying to hit,” said Hill.

Luke D’Alise of Lubbock finished second with an 1-over par 72, that included an even-par front nine. D’Alise was also able to punch his ticket for the event last year in the inaugural qualifier and he took advantage of the opportunity by finishing T-15 in the championship.

Grapevine’s Logan Zurn came in third shooting a 2-over 73. “Lakewood is awesome and in great condition,” Zurn said. “I am always happy to play this course.”

Finally, there was a playoff between Dallas’ Parker Heath and James Thomson as they both shot a 3-over 74. The two went back and played the first hole. Heath bombed his drive, which landed on the green. He was able to make a two-putt for birdie and clench the last spot for the championship.

For full results of the qualifier, click here. Tee times for Tuesday’s first round of the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship begin tomorrow morning at 8:00 am. For more information click here.

Delagarza and Smith Win Women’s Four-Ball for Third Consecutive Time

Briefly: Faith Delagarza of Midland and Amari Smith of McKinney become the first to claim the Women’s Four-Ball championship three consecutive times with a gross tournament score of 9-under-par 135. Off to a slow start on day 1, the team finished the round 2-under-par 70 and 4 strokes back from the lead. Knowing they had to bring the fire for the final round, Delagarza and Smith stuck to their tried-and-true strategy with confidence.

“We use the same game plan every year,” Delagarza said. “We’re super close and we love each other so when one gets down, we lift each other up and that’s what lets us thrive here.”

The pair from Dallas Baptist University waltzed into the clubhouse with a bogey free 7-under 65 for the final round. Delagarza and Smith said they played both aggressive and conservative at the right times, allowing them to make history.

“It’s definitely fun and really special,” Smith said of the winning feeling. “No one’s ever done it before so it’s really cool and hopefully we can come back next year and continue the tradition,” Delagarza said.

The TGA would sincerely like to thank Royal Oaks and all its staff members and the volunteers for helping make this event possible.

Leaderboard:

            1          Delagarza + Smith       -9         70        65        135

            2          Azarcon + Cassity        -6         69        69        138

            3          Head + Pistone            -4         66        74        140

            4          Bianchi + Choi             -2         70        72        142

            T5        Campise + Stramel      -1         70        71        143

            T5        Fox + Garcia                -1         72        71        143

Final Results

Golf Course: Founded in 1969, Royal Oaks Country Club is nestled between luscious trees and serene lakes in the heart of Dallas. Today, the club has become one of the premiere golf courses in Texas. With its opening design by Don January and Billy Martindale, the course was tough enough and made even more challenging by the renovation by Jay Morrish in 1985. Royal Oaks has been host to many TGA majors, including the 2010 Texas Amateur and the 2015 Texas Mid-Amateur.

Weather: The temperature reached 95 degrees with constant winds of 13 mph and gusts up to 24 mph out of the south-southwest. 

In Contention: Grand Prairie’s Aysis Azarcon and Grace Cassity of Katy earned second place with a 6-under 138 gross total for the championship. Dallas Baptist University teammates Madison Head of Haslet and Meagan Pistone of Montgomery finish out the top three with a total gross score of 4-under 140.

What’s Next: The 2021 Women’s Senior Stroke Play at Ridgewood Country Club on October 13-15, 2021.

More Info: For more information on the 2021 Women’s Four-Ball Championship, click here.

Madison Head and Meagan Pistone Lead at Women’s Four-Ball After First Round

Briefly: Madison Head of Haslet and Meagan Pistone of Montgomery fired off a 6-under 66 to take the solo lead after the first round of the Women’s Four-Ball Championship.

Leaderboard:

1          Head + Pistone            Montgomery, Haslet               66

T2        Azarcon + Cassity        Katy, Grand Prairie                69

T2        Jones + Jones              Austin                                        69

T3        Delagarza + Smith       McKinney, Midland               70

T3        Bianchi + Choi             Allen, Pflugerville                    70

T3        Campise + Stramel      Allen, Lewisville                      70

Round 1 Results | Round 2 Pairings

Golf Course: Founded in 1969, Royal Oaks Country Club is nestled between luscious trees and serene lakes in the heart of Dallas. Today, the club has become one of the premiere golf courses in Texas. With its opening design by Don January and Billy Martindale, the course was tough enough and made even more challenging by the renovation by Jay Morrish in 1985. Royal Oaks has been host to many TGA majors, including the 2010 Texas Amateur and the 2015 Texas Mid-Amateur.

Weather: The temperature reached 96 degrees with steady winds at 13 mph and gusted up to 26 mph out of the south.

In Contention: Grand Prairie’s Aysis Azarcon and Grace Cassity of Katy are three shots off the lead entering the clubhouse at a 3-under-par 69, tied with the Jones duo, Shanna and Madelyn, of Austin. There’s a three-way tie for third, all teams sitting at 2-under 70. Allen’s Allie Bianchi and Pflugerville’s Hannah Choi, Simone Campise of Lewisville and Sidney Stramel of Allen and defending champs Faith Delagarza of Midland and Amari Smith of Mckinney are all in the hunt for the title.

What’s Next: Round 2 starts Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. at Royal Oaks Country Club.

More Info: For more information on the 2021 Women’s Four-Ball Championship, click here.

Maelynn Kim and Aaron Pounds Win 95th Texas Junior Amateur

KINGWOOD – Maelynn Kim of Katy dominated the final day of the 95th Texas Junior Amateur finishing the 54-hole championship with a total 5-under 211 to hoist the trophy. The Woodlands’ Aaron Pounds battled from start to finish Wednesday to clinch the title at The Clubs of Kingwood’s Island course. Pounds walked off the 18th green of the Island course with a three-day total score of 11-under par 205.

Kim held the lead all three days, finally closing the tournament Wednesday afternoon. She entered the clubhouse with a final round of 3-under par 69, claiming the championship eight strokes over runner-up Kendall Jackson of Pearland. Kim started off hot with three consecutive birdies early on the front nine. She bogeyed the par-3 6^th, but quickly bounced back with a birdie on the 9th hole, turning at 3-under 33. Kim wavered on the back, starting off with a bogey on 10. She followed that up with back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16, a bogey on 17 for an even-par back nine 36.

“Everything worked out great today,” Kim said of her winning round. “I missed a few putts, but I couldn’t ask for a better round.”

The 16-year-old said winning this tournament ranks at the top of her all-time list.

“It feels amazing, I’m speechless,” Kim said. “I was on 18 and I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Pounds played under par all week, carding 69-70-66 for a grand total of 205 for the championship. He fired off four birdies on the front nine, turning at 4-under 32 going into the final nine holes.

“Yesterday I had a good stretch through the front nine and I had one again today, so I just tried to stay calm and play my game on the back nine,” Pounds said of his mentality today.

The 16-year-old fended off 18-year-old runner-up and playing partner Kevin Watts of Colleyville throughout the final round. Watts finished one stroke back from Pounds with three under-par rounds of 71-68-67 for a total of 206 for the 54-hole championship.

“It was definitely hard to stay focused at the end, but I tried to take it one shot at a time and hit every shot with confidence, that’s all I can really do,” Pounds said.

Pounds competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship only a week ago before teeing it up for the opening round at the Clubs of Kingwood Monday. Pounds said after competing in this tournament several times, he’s dreamed of hoisting the trophy.

“It feels amazing, today feels like a blur right now, I’m speechless,” Pounds said after his round. “It was a fun round overall and a great battle. I’ve been playing in this tournament for a while now and to finally win it is such an honor.”

The Legends Junior Tour extends its sincere appreciation to the staff and members of the Clubs of Kingwood as well as our volunteers for their integral part in making the 95th Texas Junior Amateur a memorable and successful event.

For more information on the Texas Junior Amateur, click here. For the full leaderboard, click here.

Preston Stout and Maelynn Kim Lead Texas Junior Amateur

KINGWOOD – Richardson’s Preston Stout lit up the Clubs of Kingwood’s Island course, barreling into the clubhouse with a 5-under par 67 for Monday’s round of the 95th Texas Junior Amateur. The Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Champion leads the field by 2 strokes. Maelynn Kim of Katy finished her opening round at 1-under par 71 at Clubs of Kingwood’s Lake Course. Kim carded the only under par round of the day in the girl’s division and leads the field by 1 stroke going into the Tuesday’s round.

The J.J. Pearce High School junior started off strong Monday morning, with a birdie on his first hole out of the gate, par-5 1st hole. He would accumulate 3 more birdies on the front nine to turn at 4-under par 32.

“I made a lot of good putts today,” Stout said of his round. “I had a lot of 10-footers for par that I was able to make and made some good birdie putts too.”

Stout wobbled on the back, where he had a lone bogey on the par-4 13th but made up for it with a birdie on the 16th and 18th holes. He’s dialed in, confident and ready for the play in the days to come.

“Just keep the good play going the next couple days,” Stout said of his game plan for the upcoming days. “Maybe tidy up some things on the range, keep my putting and short game where it’s at and I think I’ll like where I’m at.”

In the girl’s division, Kim got off to a rough start, carding 3 bogeys on the front 9, with only a single birdie to turn at 2-over 38. Kim found her groove on the back nine, starting with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole, birding the 15th and rounding out her day with yet another birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

The 16-year-old also competed in this year’s LJT Winter Classic and Spring Preview finishing within the top 5 in both events. Kim’s LJT all-time top finish is runner-up in the 2021 Spring Preview. She finished 5-over par for the 36-hole tournament, scoring 77-70 for a total 147.

Austin’s Kate Pickrell and Sidney Robertson of Chandler share the number two spot at even-par 72 behind Kim heading into the second round of the 54-hole championship. Julia Vollmer and Grace Jin both hailing from San Antonio and Bellaire’s Kenna Lee trail behind all tied for 4th at 1-over par 73.

Noah Hankinson of Frisco skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboard in the boys 14 and under division entering the clubhouse at 7-under par 65. The clubs of Kingwood’s Lake course proved no match for Hankinson, who fired off a back-to-back birdie-eagle combo on his first two holes. Hankinson didn’t slow down, making the turn at 5-under 31. He continued to score well on the back, with two birdies. Hankinson coasted from 14 on, solidifying his score at 7-under 65. Hankinson leads the field by 3 strokes over Selma’s Shiv Parmar who grabbed solo second with a first day round of 4-under 68.

Dallas’s Adrienne Ahn holds the no. 1 spot in the girls 14 and under division with the only under par round on 3-under par 69. Ahn kept things interesting throughout the round carding 5 birdies with 2 bogeys sprinkled in. She leads the field by 3 strokes ahead of Khloe Jones of Kingwood, who sits at even-par 72. Syna Nijhawan of Houston and Charlotte Stick of the Woodlands are tied for third at 2-over 74.

Round 2 of the 95th Texas Junior Amateur kicks off Tuesday at 7:30.

For more information, including leaderboard and pairings, click here.